Texas knife law - location restriction

[Murman]

I'm aware of what HB1935 says. I'm interested in what it means.

I work at a mental hospital in Texas. Does this mean that I can carry knives less that 5.5" to work? We had a training today from risk management. He indicated that it might be legal but wasn't prudent and as employees he would strongly urge us not to unless we had a business reason (such as maintenance).

Can a location legally restrict you, or is it a right to carry a knife less than 5.5"? (I'm not going to carry anyway at work but it's useful to know what the law is).

 

[Danke42]

You would have to suspect your Risk Management person is thinking about what happens if your knife gets taken from you by a patient.

Then said patient starts using the knife. When the inquiry starts the first questions will be where did the knife come from and why was it there.

There probably isn't a law on the books about setting off fireworks on an oil rig but it's not a great idea. Employers usually have pretty good boilerplate to restrict items in the workplace that are problematic. This sounds like either a case for leaving it in your car or not working in a mental hospital.

 

[Murman]

You would have to suspect your Risk Management person is thinking about what happens if your knife gets taken from you by a patient.

Then said patient starts using the knife. When the inquiry starts the first questions will be where did the knife come from and why was it there.

There probably isn't a law on the books about setting off fireworks on an oil rig but it's not a great idea. Employers usually have pretty good boilerplate to restrict items in the workplace that are problematic. This sounds like either a case for leaving it in your car or not working in a mental hospital.

You would think, but being that it's a state hospital there's some crazy things employees are allowed because the state can't restrict people's rights. As I said I'm not going to carry but I need to know the risks from fng

 

[zzyzzogeton]

The knives referred to in the "Location Restricted Knives" statutes are those knives over 5.5 inches. Any knife under 5.5 inches is not subject to the "restricted knife" limitations.

What an employer allows, however, has nothing to do with state law or any "rights" one may perceive they have. It is not about "rights". They are setting conditions that all employees must abide by.

An employer, regardless of whether the employer is a private company or a state agency, can set limitations or prohibitions on what is acceptable carry of anything at the place of employment.

If the employer says you can only use black ink and you think it's your right to use any color of ink you wish under the 1st Amendment due to your "right" of Freedom on the Press, you can go right ahead and do so. If the employer then chooses to fire you for violating their rules, you don't stand a chance of winning an appeal. Same with bucking any rules they promulgate regarding acceptable knives at work. If an employer bans ALL knives at work, they are perfectly within their "rights" to do so. Their "rights" trump your "rights" every time.

As Ship's Navigator on 2 US Navy ships, the Navy's requirements were that the logbooks be written in and signed only with black or blue ink. If the Officer of the Deck (inport or underway) signed his watch off in anything else, I required him to rewrite all pages affected. If I found a pen with red or green or purple or ...... ink on the Bridge or Quarterdeck, I picked it up and threw it overboard. 25 cent BIC or $250 custom, didn't matter. I didn't care how much you paid for it, who gave it to you or why you had it. Every one knew the rules - Black or Blue ink only for ALL log books and official documents- deck logs, comm logs, fitreps and evals, you name it - Black or Blue. The supply pukes used red ink in some of their financial records that were hard copy, but nothing else.

 

[Fonedork]

I'm aware of what HB1935 says. I'm interested in what it means.

I work at a mental hospital in Texas. Does this mean that I can carry knives less that 5.5" to work? We had a training today from risk management. He indicated that it might be legal but wasn't prudent and as employees he would strongly urge us not to unless we had a business reason (such as maintenance).

Can a location legally restrict you, or is it a right to carry a knife less than 5.5"? (I'm not going to carry anyway at work but it's useful to know what the law is).

Dude don’t carry a shank to your job at the insane asylum...

 

[Fonedork]

At least. Not openly I meant.